Between Friends
by Scorpio-Rat
Summary: Following the consequences of a youma attack, Ami ends up unexpectedly sharing her quiet Valentine's Day evening with a friend for once. Under 1,000 word drabble.


AN: This is a short 1,000 or so word drabble I did for a Valentine's Day contest. Whether you see shipping in this or not is up to your interpretation, I don't mind either way.

* * *

It was Valentine's Day, and Ami was alone at home reading a book. To her credit, it was a romance novel, a genre she only indulged in rarely. It was an old, worn down, paperback copy of Pride and Prejudice, written in English. It was an unofficial Valentine's Day tradition that she re-read the same book, like her version of giving out chocolate to boys. Ami could never quite bring herself to give chocolate to a classmate, fearing they would give her something back the next day. Considering her usual response to anonymous love letters, she wondered how badly she'd react to getting a White Day present. Ami blushed and pushed her glasses up at the thought of it.

Rain poured down outside, but it was gentler than the storm that raged just a few hours ago. Some would think that such bad weather would ruin the holiday, but Ami was sure her friends were making the best of it. Usagi was most likely holed up in Mamoru's apartment, having suckered him into letting her stay until the weather cleared. Rei was at her usual place by the sacred fire, pointedly resisting Yuuichirou's daily attempts to make her fall for him while she was stuck there. Minako was…well, Sailor Venus. She acted like Valentine's Day was her second birthday, and nothing short of an incoming asteroid strike could kill her enthusiasm for it. And Makoto…

The sky lit up for a split second and thunder rumbled, distant now. The group had been interrupted right after school by a monster trying to sell chocolate to collect energy from buyers, but before they could even start to fight, the monster had somehow destroyed the home-made chocolates Makoto was carrying around. As soon as they had all realized what happened, Sailor Jupiter had managed to kick the monster out of the shop onto the street, and called down a massive bolt of lightning to strike it. When the rest of the Senshi had gone outside to help, thunder clouds had suddenly rolled over Tokyo. The monster was reduced to nothing but a dark spot on the pavement. Mako had claimed she was okay afterward, but she wasn't in much of a mood to have fun anymore and ended up leaving for home early. The weather had been ugly ever since.

The door bell rang, and Ami looked up from her book, curious. Her mother was supposed to be at her shift at the hospital for the night, and her friends would have called her beforehand. The apartment was silent for a minute before the person waiting outside knocked. She got up and unlatched the door, opening it to the sight of Makoto, looking the same as she did earlier in the day except dripping wet and uncharacteristically shy. A small rectangular box tied with a ribbon was gripped in her hands, a letter with a heart-shaped sticker sitting on top of it. It was exactly the same box and letter that had been wrecked in the fight. Ami stared unabashedly at her before her vision went blurry and she tipped backwards, hearing someone call her name just as she blacked out.

* * *

"Sorry again for the whole love letter thing, I completely forgot how you felt about that." Mako sat on the couch, staring out the window. Her clothes were dry now, a product of Ami's needless protest over her health. "And for the water I got on your floor."

"I-it's fine, I just overreacted. I can't believe I actually fainted…" Ami responded, scratching her cheek. Her arms were partially covered with the same rash as her face, but Mako decided not to comment on that. "Thank you for catching me though."

"Well, I didn't want you to hit your head on the tile," she said, laughing slightly. It quickly died though, leaving nothing but silence.

"So...why were you outside in the rain with a Valentine's Day gift?" Makoto sighed and picked up the box of chocolates.

"You know when I left you guys at the arcade?" Ami nodded. "Well, I went back home and made another batch of chocolates to replace the last one. And then I ran back to the arcade to give it to...um… Motoki." Ami raised a brow at the admittance.

"Mako, he has a girlfriend already."

"I'm not sure why I even tried in the first place, I felt pretty stupid standing there in the rain in front of a closed building anyway. I mean, I bet a ton of girls tried to give him stuff today too. It's not like I had a chance…" she rambled. "I just kind of wandered over here after."

"I guess you just got caught up in the whole holiday spirit. Maybe you'll find someone to give chocolate to next year. Hopefully someone who's not engaged," Ami said, touching her shoulder. "If it's any consolation, I'm sure Mina would be proud of you for not giving up."

"…Yeah, you're right." After a few moments of thought, she slid the unopened box over to Ami. "Here, you have them. I think you deserve chocolate after hearing me talk about my love problems and dripping all over your house." Ami hesitated before picking it up and cracking the lid.

"…Don't you think this is a bit high quality to give to just a friend? I mean, didn't you want to give this to Motoki?"

"Ami, I don't think I could ever purposely give someone cheap food." Mako grinned and looked back outside again. "Besides…you're far more important to me than a guy," she continued. Ami blushed again.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?"

"Oh look, the rain's gone."

"Makoto, don't change the subject!"

"Oh, stop over thinking it and eat your chocolate, okay?"


End file.
